Geol 1304 Assignment 4

Chapter 1:

Review:

1.) 1) At a particular moment and place, the weather is the condition of the atmosphere: The climate is the average over a period of time

3.) A smartphone, internet, TV, radio or software.   All news stations offer all day long weather features.

5.) The air mass has an enormous air volume of hundreds of thousands of kilometres, and its horizontal temperature and humidity characteristics are rather consistent. The region of origin, or location of origin of the mass, usually controls the properties of the mass of air.

7.) Geostationary Environmental Operational Observatory: orbits at about 36,000 km of Earth at the same rotating speed and direction, so that the satellite is located at the same place. Orbits considerably closer to the earth than the GOES is traveling in a north and on the same plane as Earth, spreading over different regions of the earth's surface Polar Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite

Critical Thinking:

1.) Satellite imaging, radar technology and computer model forecasting are several methods of improving the weather weather forecasting capacity of the technical advancements of the 20th century.

3.) Local pressure starts to grow as the anti-cyclone system approaches you because high-pressure systems are following low-pressure systems and visa versa, which leads to a stormy fair-stormy weather pattern.

5.) Clouds may travel at various heights in different directions since the winds are moving. This indicates wind speed and direction horizontal changes.

7.) Higher-altitude clouds typically look thin and wispy because they consist mostly of ice crystals. Lower clouds seem to be more fluffy and distinct because they consist mostly of water droplets owing to the higher air temperatu

Chapter 2:

Review:

1.) There are two theories. First, the water came on water rich comets and asteroids that collided with Earth during their elliptical orbit around the developing Jupiter. The other is the the water is indigenous, in the early stages of Earth’s development, the other relatively light and high speed molecules escaped into space leaving the water in place.

3.) Primarily through photosynthesis, the process in which green plants use water, sunlight, and CO2 to produce sugars and oxygen.

5.) The significance of an atmospheric gas or aerosol do not relate to it’s concentration because some gases such as benzene are extremely deadly even in small concentrations, but carbon dioxide can be tolerated at significantly higher concentrations.

7.) ASOS consists of electronic sensors, computers, and fully automated communications ports that feed data to NWS Forecast Officers and airport control towers twenty-four hours a day.

Critical Thinking:

1.) The atmosphere play a key role in the Earth system through the weather cycle to provide water to the biosphere, the creation of the ozone layer, to prevent life threatening UV radiation, retaining gaseous compounds from outgasing (relation to the geeosphere) for the oxygenation of marine sediment

3.) Since aurora are triggered by solar wind, the are directly related. A complex interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere produce auroras.

5.) Rains caused a substantial decline in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere because it is water soluble. This also aided in the reduction of average surface temperatures, which subsequently expedited the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere as it is more soluble in cold water.

7.) Natural compounds such as Sulfur Dioxide or Carbon Monoxide can become pollutants when their concentrations elevate to a level that approaches or exceeds the tolerable limits of living organisms

Chapter 3:

Review:

1.) The basis for dividing the electromagnetic spectrum is because we detect, identify, measure, generate, and use the various segments in different ways.

3.) The radiational properties of the sun are most intense at a wavelength of about 0.5µm in the green portion of the visible light spectrum. Earth’s peak intensity is about 10µm in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

5.) Despite the closer proximity of Earth to the Sun in winter months (northern hemisphere), temperatures are lower due to the tilt of Earth on its axis. The Sun’s energy is approaching at more of an angle rather than perpendicular thus being more even distributed resulting in lower temperatures.

7.) Components of Earth’s atmosphere absorb, reflect, and refract the Sun’s energy.

Critical Thinking:

1.) Global radiative equilibrium is an example of the law of energy conservation because Earth is converting the Sun’s radiative energy to various other forms of energy while simultaneously emitting energy of it’s own. Much like a plant converting the sun’s energy and CO2 from the atmosphere while emitting oxygen back into the atmosphere.

3.) UV radiation breaks down CFCs in the stratosphere producing Cl, o2, and ClO. Chlorine as a catalyst readily sheds the Oxygen atom that it is bonded with to break apart other O3 molecules. As a result, a single Cl atom can destroy tens of thousands of O3 before being cycled out of the atmosphere.

5.) The Keeling curve and global mean annual temperature both show increases, but are not parallel because there are other factors besides atmospheric CO2 contributing to the increase of the Earth’s temperature that cause spikes inconsistent with the Keeling curve.

7.) Significant reduction in the combustion of fossil fuels and and utilizing alternative fuel sources are some of the ways to reduce the amount of CO2 being vented into the atmosphere.

Review:

1.) Temperature is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules composing a substance.

3.) Response time refers to the rapidity at which a thermometer resolves a change in temperature. Electrical resistance thermometers have the fastest response times

5.) Sensible heat is heat in which we can sense a change in temperature, usually derived from conduction and/or convection. Latent heat is “hidden” heat and is related to the phases of water. Latent heat is more important on a global annual average basis.

7.) Radiational cooling is primarily responsible for cooling Earth’s surface.

Critical Thinking:

1.) Bridges may ice before roads due to the latent heat being released from the moisture on the surface of the bridge. Since the bridge is typically suspended above ground allowing cold air to surround it in all directions, the heat energy held in the bridge is transferred more rapidly than that of the roads on the ground which are absorbing heat transferred from the ground below.

3.) How does analyzing recent rainfall patterns help predict temperatures?

5.) Using °F=9/5°C+32 the conversions are, 0°C=32°F, 100°C=212°F, 5°C=41°F, 20°C=68°F, and -10°C=14°F.

7.) The poor heat conductivity of air provides excellent insulation to prevent the transfer of heat to or from an object. One example is fiberglass insulation in a house, the individual fibers trap the air thus preventing the transfer of heat to/from the interior of the house. Likewise fresh snow can act in the same manner preventing the sub freezing air temperatures from freezing the soil below the snow.

( Chapter 4 : )

Review:

1.) Dalton’s law states that the total pressure of air is equal to the sum of the pressure of all constituent gasses resulting in equal pressure from every direction.

3.) While mercury barometers are more accurate, they are far more cumbersome than their aneroid counterparts.

5.) Because air is compressible, the rate of pressure drop in relation to increasing altitude is not uniform. Pressure is greatest at Earth’s surface and then becomes more gradual aloft.

7.) A cold, dry air mass exerts a greater surface air pressure than an equally cold, but more humid air mass because water vapor reduces the density of air due to the fact that the molecular density of water is less than that of dry air

Critical Thinking:

1.) No one altitude can specify where Earth’s atmosphere actually ends because air is compressible and the rate of pressure drop with altitude is not uniform.

3.) “Baseballs will not carry far in this heavy air” is not valid because humid air is actually less dense than dry air. It feels heavier to us due to the deposition of water molecules on our skin and in our lungs, but is in fact less dense.

5.) The air pressure will increase more rapidly with altitude on a cold day in Jan vs. a warm day in Jul due to the decrease in air density. Air density decreases when heated because the exited molecules create more space between neighboring molecules.

7.) If a jet is traveling at a 600mb altitude, approximately 59.22% of the atmosphere’s mass is below the jet. This is calculated by the average air pressure at sea level being 1013.25mb and dividing that by the 600mb travel pressure, then multiplying that figure by 100.